Electric clock.



J. P. ENGLE. ELECTRIC oLooK.

` APPLICATION lFILED MAY 13, 1912. 1,064,1 37. Patented June 10, 1913 2 SHEETS-SHEET. 2.

f JOHN r. ENGLE, or CLEVELAND, oHro,

ASSIGNOR TO M. PRKER, OF CLEVELAND,

OHIO.

ELECTRIC CLOCK.

Applicationl filed May 13, 1912. Serial No. 696,!El9.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. ENGLE, a'

` citizen of 4the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, 'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Clocks, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to `a self-Winding electrical clock, and the invention consists inparticularly looking tov the right from line:

the construction and arrangement of parts substantially as shown and described and particularly pointed out in the claims.-

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan View of my improved mechanism, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a side view of the electrical partsmore 3HE, Fig-t. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on a line corresponding substantially to 4-4L, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is aside elevation of the armature land parts associated therewithand enlarged over the preceding iigures but' corresponding otherwise to Fig. 3 except that the circuit is closed in-this view, Wheref as in Fig. 3 it is open.

In the mechanism as thus shown no claiml for novelty is made except in those portions which have to do ivith the application and use of electricity for keeping the clock prop- 'erly Wound. and this mechanism necessarily comprises the main spring s by Whichthe clock is driven and' the means for automatically and intermittently or repeatedly at brief and regular intervals Winding said spring and holding it at what may be termed a normal tension, the unvvinding in any interval being but slight and hence requiring but little Winding at any time. 'l say normal and uniform because the reivindings are so frequent and complete as not to permit the spring to univind perceptiblybetore it is re-ivounrl and so on continuously or until the source of electrical energy isexhausted.. Usually a suitable dry battery. isinstalled with the clock, and a magnet-m and the average battery has a life of six months or longer.

The armature is indicated by a and is located ivithin the poles of the magnet as usual and fixed on shaft 3, and the magnet is energized andthe mechanism operated through said magnet at iritervals as will now be seen. Thus, the clock mechanism, Which is indicated as a Whole by e, has the usual arbor 2 and hour and minute hands it, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJune 1C, 1913.

Aanism is through rthe armature a, and a pawl' 4Lv thereon adapted to engage a gear Wheel ot the clock mechanism. Now, since 4the `armaturefthus serves directly as a meansA for driving the clock and eifects this movement t-hroughthe Wheel 5 by means of pavvl l, it follows that the saidparts must rotate together.' -Incident to this operation l employ a so-called yokep, which has a rigid arm pivoted at its outer end lso as t'o afford a vibratingl or raising and loweringV movement of sufficient stroke Vfor the yoke and Which has to do directly with the making and breaking of the electric circuit through which the armature is actuated and the spring s reivound. To this end the said yoke has a roller or Wheel? in one arm and a laterally ext-ending pin S in the other arm which raches'between the two contact members or strips 9 and 10. The electrical connections to the battery are with these strips, and the said strips have contact lugs or pcfnts 19. on their ends oppositely and adapted to make and break t-he circuit as the said strips themselves are separated or brought together. Naturally or Without interposition the said contacts would meet because the said strips 'or pieces 9 and 10 are Y ot spring metal and 'arranged to spring to gether, and they are separated or spread apart mechanically and for a given or predetermined period through the. action of the saidv yoke and a disk Z independently rotatable' ontheinner end of armature shaft 3. The said disk has three several cavities' in its periphery as indicated by 71, m and n. The cavity 7L is largest and is in Working relations with a pin r which projects laterally fromthe armature through a segmental slot in the intervening Wall into the said cavity or recess 7L and by engaging the edge thereof causing the said disk'to turn on its aXis, firstl in one direction and then in the other according to the rotation or thrctv of the armature. For cnam-plew suppose the parts to be in what may he regarded as their normal position, as when the spring has been. Wound, Fig. 3, the roller 7 ivill then be on the circular edge of the disk Z back of the cavities m, n, and at such elevation as to raise or lift the upper contact strip 9 up suiiiciently high to separate the contact points 12 and break the circuit. rlhis is the opposite position of the parts from what is seen in Fig. where the circuit is closed.

. The said disk will hold this position until the armature is rotated .far enough by spring s to cause the pin r to traverse the recess h to the opposite edge, and striking said edge,

rotate the disk far enough to carry the roller 7 first into the cavity m andthen directly into n, at which latter point the yoke will drop far enough down to allow the contact is also'claimed ,that there really is no lost motion'fwhichadects the operation ofthe clock at these'times.

ltQ-will be noticed th-at the contacts are directgacting and made and, broken mechanically, the `spring in metallic strip 9/closing the, lcircuit when separation is Arelieved 'by projection .8. 'A lateral projection 14er studcarries the pawlA 4, and a spring 1'5l wound thereon holds the pawl downto work.

Thev moment roller 7 rides over the high point betweenthe two cavities m and n, a sudden dropping of the roller into cavity n is effected by the accommodating independent rotation of disk Zr-the curved incline of the cavity acting cam-like to rotate the disk under the strong down-pull of spring strip 9 upon the .yoke 6 and its pin 8.-,-'ll`his pin is preferably of insulating material,l say l liber.

1What l claim is:

l. An electrically operated clock compris? ing a main spring, a shaft actuated thereby and an armature fixed on said shaft, in combination with two spring conducting members having contact points at their ends,v a

pivoted yoke having one arm provided with a lateral projection permanently engaged between the said springs and adapted -to'l separate the same and break the circuit, and a device mounted 'to rotate loosely on said shaft supporting the other arm of said yoke and adapted to raise and lower said yoke and thus make and break circuit at said contact points, the said disk having cavities in` its periphery over which said arm is adapt-` ed to pass.

2. An electrically operated clock mechanism. comprising a shaft and an armature and a main spring fixed on the sai`d shaft, a

Vdisk independently mounted on said shaft and-said armature provided with a lateral projection adapted'to engage and rotate the said disk, in combination with a pair of directfacting contact springs having contacts at their ends and a pivotally mounted yoke having one arm operatively engaging the periphery of said disk and .the other arm provided lwith a lateral projection eX- tending between said springs inward from the contact` points on the ends thereof.

i 3. In an electrically wound clock, a main shaft and a main` springv and an armature on said shaft, a yoke having a' supporting stem on which itis pivoted and .provided with two arms, a disk adjustably mounted on said shaft havingtw'o cavities and a projectionbetween thesame, a pair of parallel spring contact members having contact points at their otherwise free ends, and one ofsaid arms having a lateral projection engaged between'the said spring contact members and the other of said aims engaging said disk 'and adapted to ride from one of said cavities into the other over said projection between said cavities and a lateral projec'tion on said armature .adapted to engage and -rota'te' the said disk.

4. In an electrically operated clock, a mechanism comprising anarbor and a main sorino and an armature thereon a air of* spring contact members having contact points at their ends, a disk independently rotatable on said arbor and having two cavities of different depths on its periphery and va projection between said cavities and a single cavity in said disk substantially opposite the said two cavities, a lateral proj ection on said armature adapted to engage the edge of said single cavity and rotate said disk, and a pivoted yoke having an arm with a roller adapted to ride from'one cavity into the other over said projection and "another arm having a lateralv projection eX- tendingpermanently between the contact members and the ends thereof and adapted to open the same. and break the circuit.

lntestimony whereof l atliX myA signature infpresence vof two witnesses.

l/Vitnesses l-l. T. lfr'srrnr, jE.' M. FISHER.

Jona' nuera. s i 

